Project-Based Learning in Post-Secondary Education – Theory, Practice and Rubber Sling Shots

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore what project-based learning is, what are the pedagogical or psychological motives supporting it, how it has been implemented and what impact it has had on learning in post-secondary education. The study is based on a qualitative review of published articles. The work revealed that the majority of articles on project-based learning are course descriptions focusing on the implementation of individual courses, whereas serious research on the topic is virtually non-existent. In addition, the term project-based learning subsumes different activities with varying purposes. Therefore, practitioners and curriculum developers are encouraged to reflect upon the purpose and possibilities of project-based learning along with students and to set realistic, clear goals. Practitioners and researchers are urged to document courses even more carefully. Several issues for further research are identified.

Application of Project-Based Learning in the first year of an Industrial Engineering Program: lessons learned and challenges

“…The students also need to delegate tasks for each group member and integrate the different parts into the final project (Powell & Weenk, 2003). Helle et al (2006) sought to define and distinguish PBL pedagogical or psychological reasons in this kind of pedagogical approach. For them, the most important feature of PBL is having a defined problem to be solved, which serves as guide for learning.…”

“…The inclusion of PBL in engineering curricula is considered one of the most efficient ways to enhance student learning, and it has been recognized as an effective way to prepare students for professional careers (Helle et al, 2006;Jollands et al, 2012;Litzinger et al, 2011;Prince & Felder, 2006). According to Lu (2007), students who participate in activities focused on PBL are more participative and proactive, communicate better, know how to work in groups, and stand out as top professionals, since they are able to better apply the acquired knowledge to solve a professional problem.…”

The Empathy Project: Using a Project-Based Learning Assignment to Increase First-Year College Students’ Comfort with Interdisciplinarity

“…Loyens and Rikers (2011), for example, suggest that inquiry-based assignments, such as those that are project-based, often bring together four elements: "prior knowledge, social negotiation, self-regulation, and meaningful tasks" (p. 364). Additional guidelines often applied to project-based learning assignments include that they are student-centered (Loyens & Rikers, 2011); that the teacher act primarily or exclusively as a facilitator (Loyens & Rikers, 2011), as is the case with constructivism (Harris & Alexander, 1998); that assignments reflect real-life projects (Helle, Tynjälä, & Olkinuora, 2006); and that students have "a significant degree of control of the project" (Loyens & Rikers, 2011, p. 366). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the central problem in project-based learning is left intentionally incomplete, unsolved, or poorly designed, which allows students to seek out both causes for and solutions to the problem (Loyens & Rikers, 2011;Helle, Tynjälä, & Olkinuora, 2006).…”

“…In well-designed project-based learning assignments, motivation to perform well on and successfully complete tasks can increase, as Helle, Tynjälä, and Olkinuora (2006) describe:…”

TBL and Teacher Preparation: Toward a Curriculum for Pre-service Teachers

“…• Using a framework for taking notes from a short video clip on the www Project work (Helle, Tynjala, & Olkinuora, 2006;Roessingh & Chambers, 2011). Projects are large, linked pieces of work that require students to demonstrate their understanding of the underlying theoretical framing as they apply this to the practicalities of preparing for the classroom.…”